


Bella's Secret Admirer

by CrookshanksAgentofOWCA



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bellamort, Evil Love, F/M, Romantic Bellamort, Secret Admirer, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, does not portray Rodolphus in a flattering light because i do not care for him, early relationship so Bella and Voldy are both still rather awkward around each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:02:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29273661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrookshanksAgentofOWCA/pseuds/CrookshanksAgentofOWCA
Summary: It's Valentine's Day and Bellatrix has received an anonymous gift. Whoever could it be from?
Relationships: Bellatrix Black Lestrange & Narcissa Black Malfoy, Bellatrix Black Lestrange/Voldemort, Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	Bella's Secret Admirer

**Author's Note:**

> Just wanted to do a fun little Bellamort thing for Valentine's Day. Enjoy!

Bellatrix Lestrange hated Valentine’s Day. She had hated it as a little girl, watching her parents coldly present each other with various passive-aggressive gifts. She had hated it as a teenager, watching everyone at Hogwarts lose all self-control and spiral into a crush that was bound to end in either an inordinate amount of tears or various unnecessary and stupid displays of affection, while she ended up in detention for hexing anyone who dared ask her out. And she’d hated it for all her time as an adult so far, as she’d found herself in love with someone unattainable.

Although not quite as unattainable as she’d previously thought. For the past few months, she and the Dark Lord had been spending more and more time alone together and less and less of it talking about official Death Eater business. He insisted they weren’t really dating, but neither of them could think of a better word for it.

But she doubted her sort-of relationship with the man she loved would make this Valentine’s Day any better, as he was determined they keep it secret and maintained that, while he certainly was attracted to her and valued her company, he could not love. In fact, the knowledge that, even though she was finally with him, he would most likely spend the day not acknowledging it meant this Valentine’s Day would probably be even worse than normal.

She sighed as she opened her bedroom door to find the usual enormous bouquet of obnoxiously bright flowers and box of chocolates almost certainly laced with love potion from Rodolphus. She pulled out her wand and casually blasted them away. There was still a single red rose a bit to the side of the scorch marks.

She bent down to pick it up, intending to rip it to shreds, only to quickly drop it again as she felt a sharp prick. This rose still had thorns. She wondered if Rodolphus had left them there on purpose to extract revenge for her constant indifference or if he was just dumb enough to forget that thorns were sharp.   
She pointed her wand at her finger to stop the small trickle of blood, then reached out and gingerly picked up the flower, making sure to avoid the thorns this time. She wasn’t generally a huge fan of flowers, but she had to admit there was something captivating about this one. The petals were the same shade of red as blood, curling out from their twisted center like an explosion. Even the thorns, once she got a proper look at them, were rather lovely; they were like angry fangs embedded in the plant’s stem. But the most curious thing about this rose was the small slip of parchment tied to it, baring a note that read,

Bellatrix—

This plant reminded me of you.

Happy Valentine’s day.

It wasn’t signed.

Rodolphus tended to sign every letter he wrote her—or at least the few she bothered to glance at before tossing them in the fire—with “Your Husband,” like she needed the reminder. It was possible he had decided to mix things up a bit, but unlikely. Rodolphus Lestrange was not an innovative thinker. Besides, she had noticed an envelope attached to the bouquet she had destroyed. Why would he write her two letters? No, this flower was a separate gift, from a separate person. But who?  
Of course, she knew whom she wanted it to be from, and had a strong desire to summon him here and kiss him right now, but she forced herself to be rational. Wonderful as he was in every other way, the Dark Lord was not a romantic. There was absolutely no way this rose could be from him. Still…it was a beautiful flower. She left it on her nightstand before heading downstairs. She was staying at Malfoy Manor, partly to spend time with Cissy and partly to avoid being alone with Rodolphus.

Both of them were already at the breakfast table, along with Lucius and Rodolphus’s brother, Rabastan. There wasn’t much room for food on the table, as it was covered with various expensive gifts the Malfoys had gotten for each other; jewelry, perfume, hair-care potions, shoes, chocolates, bottles of campaign, a peacock grooming kit and an enourmous bouquet of singing flowers.

“Morning, Bella! Happy Valentine’s Day!” Narcissa cried, hopping to her feet. She handed her sister a card and a heart-shaped box, which Bella opened to find her favorite espresso-filled chocolates.

“Thanks, Ciss,” she replied, feeling guilty that she hadn’t gotten her younger sister anything. She made a note to find something right after breakfast.

“Good morning, my darling Bellakins!” Rodolphus called, pulling out the seat next to him. She quickly moved to the other side of the table. “Did you get my presents?”  
“No.”

He looked confused.

“Well, I _found_ them but I didn’t want them, so I blew them up!”

Rodolphus’s face fell for a second, than he forced himself to smile again.

“Oh, Bella. Always playing hard to get. You’re so cute!”  
“I’m not playing anything, I honestly hate you and if you call me cute again I’ll turn you into a rubbish bin.”

“I hope you didn’t leave scorch marks on my floor again, Bella,” Cissy scolded, going back to her breakfast. Her older sister merely shrugged.

“I did actually want to ask you one thing, though, Rodolphus.”

“Anything, my sweet.”

“Ugh. When you left those ugly flowers outside my door, did you…happen to see anyone else?”

“No. Why—wait!” His eyes narrowed. “Did someone else leave you something?”

“Yes. Just a flower.”  
“What _kind_ of flower?”  
“A rose.”  
“A ROSE?! But that’s the most romantic flower!”  
“Ooh, Bella, you’ve got a secret admirer,” Cissy cooed.

“Shocking,” Lucius smirked. “I don’t even understand how Rodolphus finds her attractive and now someone else does, too?”

“Who was it from?” Rodolphus cried. “I’m going to kill them.”

It occurred to Bella that, if she actually cared how he felt, Rodolphus’s jealousy might be flattering, but she simply found it annoying, like everything else about him.

Rabastan had said nothing this whole time, but was happily eating his eggs while watching his brother with amusement, as if he was enjoying a show. Noticing this, Rodolphus turned on him, glowering.

“It was YOU, wasn’t it?! You’ve loved Bella as long as I have! Why else would you even be here now?”

Rabastan rolled his eyes.

“It wasn’t me, Rod,” he sighed. “I know we both had pretty big crushes on Bellatrix back at school, but I got over that once we grew up and she turned out to be a complete psychopath. No offense, Bella.”  
“None taken.”  
“And I’m here for the free food,” he took a hearty bite of his cinnamon roll, “And to remind everyone to come to my Valentine’s Day Yacht Party tonight! It’s gonna be even crazier than Bellatrix! Again, no offense.”

“Unfortunately, Cissa and I won’t be able to make it,” Lucius said, taking his wife’s hand. “We’re going to have a romantic evening alone together.”

“What about you, Bellatrix? You’re fun at a party and I know you and Rod don’t have any plans.”  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” mumbled Rodolphus.

“No,” said Bellatrix. “I don’t have an excuse, but I really don’t want to.”  
“Why’s that?” asked Rodolphus in a panicky tone. “Do you have plans with this ‘secret admirer’?”  
“No, because, as I’ve mentioned, I don’t even know who it is. Not that it would be any of your business if I did.”  
“Actually, I’m your husband, so it would be my—” She glared and he fell silent for a moment, than turned to Lucius. “So how to I know you didn’t give Bella the rose?” Lucius, Narcissa and Bellatrix all protested loudly at once, creating a cacophony in the dining room.

“THAT’S DIGUSTING! I HATE HER; SHE REPELS ME, I WOULDN’T—”

“HOW _DARE_ YOU SUGGEST LUCIUS WOULD CHEAT ON ME!”

“AHHHH! NO NO NO! HE BETTER NOT HAVE OR I’LL KILL HIM!”

“I LOVE NARCISSA AND ONLY NARCISSA! IN FACT, THE ONLY THING WRONG WITH NARCISSA IS THAT BELLATRIX IS HER SISTER!” Lucius looked slightly nauseated. Rabastan guffawed, enjoying the unfolding drama.

Rodolphus didn’t look convinced.

“Well, who else could it have been?”

Rabastan shrugged.

“Anyone. Bella’s hot.”

Rodolphus smacked him.

“She’s _my_ wife!”  
“Don’t remind me,” Bella growled. Rabastan raised his hands defensively.

“I know that and I’m not denying it! I’m just saying, from an objective viewpoint, Bellatrix is very physically attractive. You are too, though Narcissa, don’t worry.”  
Narcissa frowned.

“I wasn’t. I’m confident enough in my own beauty that I don’t need constant reassurance about it.”

“Really? That must be nice. Anyway, I’m just saying plenty of Death Eaters have been checking Bella out.”  
“Which Death Eaters?” cried Rodolphus indignantly.

“Doesn’t matter, they all stop once I remove their eyeballs,” Bella growled.

“Well,” Lucius spoke up, “there is one man whose attention you don’t seem to mind.”  
“Me,” said Rodolphus, sitting up proudly.

“NO!” the rest of the table cried in unison.

“I meant the Dark Lord. Obviously,” Lucius clarified. Bella shifted slightly in her seat. Usually she wasn’t bothered by rumors about her and the Dark Lord—in fact she rather appreciated them—but today they were just a reminder of his absence.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said in the most dignified tone she could muster.

“Sure, we all know about Bella’s massive crush on the Dark Lord—” Rabastan replied—

“It’s not a _crush!_ ” snapped Bella.

“Yeah! She’s just being a good Death Eater,” added Rodolphus defensively.

“Okay, fine, it is a crush.”  
“You are so funny!”  
“Wasn’t joking.”

“—but there’s no way _he_ left her that flower! You’ve all heard his opinions on love!”

“Maybe there’s an exception to that rule,” said Cissy, giving her sister a knowing look.

“Please,” scoffed Rabastan. “The Dark Lord is many things, but a romantic is not one of them.”  
“How would you know?” Bellatrix asked.

“How would _you?”_ interjected Lucius. Bellatrix threw a handful of scrambled eggs at him.

A few hours later, after a violent food fight that would have turned into a duel if Narcissa hadn’t been there to yell at everyone, Bellatrix found herself in the garden, picking flowers. She’d been trying to think of a suitable present for her sister (even if she was mad at her for not letting her kill Lucius) and had decided to make her a flower crown like they’d made as children. Except, now that she was an adult, she could make a much nicer and more permanent one.

She had just finished charming the flowers to stay fresh for an extra-long time when she suddenly sensed someone watching her. Leaping to her feet, she whipped her wand out and spun to face—the Dark Lord. She hastily lowered her wand.

“Sorry—”

“No, no, I snuck up on you and you reacted appropriately.”

“Well, I’m happy to see you. You can sneak up on me anytime.”  
“And risk being on the receiving end of one of your magnificent Cruciatus Curses? I don’t know….” After looking around to ensure there was no one else watching, he leaned down and kissed her quickly.

Grinning like an idiot, she asked,

“So, what brings you here? Do you have a mission for me?”  
“Not exactly, no.”  
“Oh.” She tried not to sound too disappointed.

“I just…wanted to see you.”  
“Oh!” She tried not to sound too excited.  
“I…that is…er…Bella, do you know what day it is?”   
“February fourteenth, my Lord.”

“Right. Also known as….” She stared at him blankly. He sighed. “You know….” Bellatrix racked her brains, trying to figure out what about this date could be important to the Dark Lord. Was it the anniversary of the first time he’d murdered someone? The day he’d discovered he was a Parselmouth, perhaps?

He gave her a somewhat annoyed look.

“You are making this very difficult, Bellatrix. You can’t honestly not know—”

“Well, it’s Valentine’s Day, but that’s all I can think of!”  
“Yes. That is…what I was talking about.”  
“Really? I didn’t think you’d care about Valentine’s Day.”  
“I didn’t, but—” he cupped her cheek in his hand, “—a lot of things have changed this past year.” Bellatrix felt her face get warm and knew her cheek had turned bright red beneath Voldemort’s hand.

“Right. Yeah. We….” She was babbling now. Why couldn’t she say something comprehensible? “That’s true, my Lord. For the better, I think.”  
“So do I.”   
“But I guess I still thought you wouldn’t be interested in such a frivolous holiday.”  
“I did too, but last night I was walking alone, trying to work out plans for our next battle but I kept seeing those ridiculous heart decorations everywhere. And for some reason, I couldn’t just roll my eyes and dismiss them like I’ve always done. I suppose even if Valentine’s Day is stupid—which, to be clear, it is—”

“Absolutely!”  
“—I still wanted to spend time with you.”

Shock flashed through Bella.

“Really?”  
“Yes, really.”  
“I…I would very much like to spend time with you too. I enjoy every second we’re together.”  
“Good. So…perhaps, we could do something tonight? Go for a walk, get something to eat, anything but Rabastan’s stupid boat party.”  
“That sounds wonderful! Doing something with you, that is, not Rabastan’s thing.”

“Alright. Shall we meet here around seven? If anyone asks, tell them I’m sending you on a top secret mission.”  
“Of course.” Suddenly something clicked into place. “Wait. Did _you_ leave me that flower?!”

Voldemort looked rather embarrassed.

“Ah…yes, I did. It was sort of a spur-of-the-moment thing. I apologize, I’m only now remembering how much you hate the flowers Rodolphus gives you.”  
“No, no, no; I hate Rodolphus and anything that comes from him. But I really like _this_ flower.”

“Oh. Well then.” The Dark Lord seemed uncharacteristically flustered. “Excellent.”

“Although I do have to ask—how exactly did it remind me of you?”

Voldemort looked even more embarrassed now. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, than gently ran his hand down her arm to take her hand.

“The lovely flower, covered in sharp thorns…it’s simultaneously beautiful and dangerous, just like you.”

Bellatrix was now bushing so hard she expected steam to rise from her face. A small giggle escaped her and she clapped a hand to her mouth in embarrassment. Voldemort gave her an amused smile. She took a deep breath and said,

“I’m not sure which of those things I’m happier to hear you call me.”

“Doesn’t matter. They’re equally true.”

“For the record, you are too. Beautiful…or handsome I guess…just, you know very nice to look at. And dangerous. Obviously.”

He gave her a rare, genuine smile.

“Well, we’ll have plenty of time to look at each other tonight. And maybe a bit more than that?”  
“I certainly hope so,” she replied, giving his hand a squeeze.

“Alright. I’ll meet you back here at seven, then.”

“Whatever you say, my Lord.” She moved forward and kissed him and he wrapped his arms around her. They stayed like that for a moment, their embrace warm in the winter air, than Voldemort whispered,

“See you tonight,” and left. She watched him go, aware that she was grinning idiotically but too happy to care. Maybe Valentine’s Day wasn’t so bad after all.


End file.
